Felicity Smoak: Bitch With Wifi

[quarks]

Not sure why Felicity quitting now is getting backlash.

 

 

This is a bit hypocritical of me, but I was initially fine with her quitting under the circumstances - it made sense. As far as she knew, Oliver was dead and Roy and Diggle were questioning her decisions.  I think if it had been left there, I would have stayed fine.

 

But then, the character who has been questioning the Hood/Arrow and actually tried to arrest him at one point, the character who just a few episodes ago was saying she wasn't part of Team Arrow, the character who pointedly wasn't invited to join Team Arrow and who didn't even get a good-bye from Oliver and still hasn't been told the full story of what's going on, turned out to be the character who decided to continue on with the vigilante mission because she didn't order enough guards to protect the evidence.  That bugged. That really bugged. 

 

Once I remembered that everyone on Team Arrow has quit at least once, and it's really Felicity's turn to do so, I was ok. But although I'm ok with Felicity quitting, it feels wrong to have Felicity quit, and Laurel continue. That's more of my reaction.

[Morrigan2575]

Once I remembered that everyone on Team Arrow has quit at least once, and it's really Felicity's turn to do so, I was ok. But although I'm ok with Felicity quitting, it feels wrong to have Felicity quit, and Laurel continue. That's more of my reaction.

 

That's just character propping and a lazy way to get Laurel into the suit quickly rather than organically.  That pisses me off to no ends but that's more a complaint against the writers than the Felicity character.  Felicity quitting as a result of losing Oliver/faith and having to find her way back to being a "hero" (which will probably happen in 311) is typical...factoring Laurel in makes my blood boil :p

Edited January 22, 2015 by Morrigan2575

[quarks]

Yep. That's why I said it was hypocritical of me. Once I went away, slept, and focused on just Felicity, I was fine. Her decision to quit made absolute sense in the context of the episode. It just didn't make sense in contrast to Laurel, but that's on Laurel, not Felicity.

[Morrigan2575]

yep, agreed

[apinknightmare]

But Laurel thought Diggle was quitting too, and it seemed like he might be, since he didn't give her an answer when she pressed him about whether he was going to continue or not. I can't remember where Roy stood at the end of the ep, but he also expressed doubts about whether or not they should continue without Oliver. Felicity was the only one who made an obvious choice, but I think we're meant to believe that Laurel suited up because everyone quit - not just Felicity.

[quarks]

Oh, yeah, I get completely that Laurel suited up because she thought everyone else quit. My point is just that I was fine with Felicity quitting until Laurel was the one to continue. 

[Morrigan2575]

But Laurel thought Diggle was quitting too, and it seemed like he might be, since he didn't give her an answer when she pressed him about whether he was going to continue or not. I can't remember where Roy stood at the end of the ep, but he also expressed doubts about whether or not they should continue without Oliver. Felicity was the only one who made an obvious choice, but I think we're meant to believe that Laurel suited up because everyone quit - not just Felicity.

Never said she did.  My issues comes from them basically making it look like TA quit or even having members of TA quit just to give Laurel a reason to suit up. 

 

As Quarks said, when looking at Felicity quitting in terms of story it makes sense.  Looking at Roy or Diggle quitting in terms of story it makes sense, looking at TA as a whole quitting in terms of story it makes sense.  However, the natural evolution of that story for any hero or hero group, is for them to each come to terms with their reasons for being in the mission and get back to being Heroes.  I have no doubt that Felicity will realize something next week, probably tied to Ray fighting to honor Anna and she'll take that as her reason to continue fighting the good fight, to honor Oliver and the City he loved. 

 

Oh, yeah, I get completely that Laurel suited up because she thought everyone else quit. My point is just that I was fine with Felicity quitting until Laurel was the one to continue.

 

Ditto

[apinknightmare]

Never said she did.  My issues comes from them basically making it look like TA quit or even having members of TA quit just to give Laurel a reason to suit up. 

 

 

Oh, yeah, I get completely that Laurel suited up because she thought everyone else quit. My point is just that I was fine with Felicity quitting until Laurel was the one to continue.

 

Okay. I just wasn't sure with the way the conversation about Laurel's decision to suit up was focused specifically on Felicity's decision when it was a group thing. 

 

ETA: And that's not me being argumentative, just explaining why I commented.

Edited January 22, 2015 by apinknightmare

[doesntworkonwood]

 

Also...did the show have Felicity apologise to Ray for crossing a line when talking about his dead fiancé? Because apologising to your stalker about boundaries is a little weird. Maybe I misheard, though, because paying attention to those scenes isn't easy for me.

 

That really frustrated me. Objectively, I know that Felicity was in the wrong, but every time I see Ray's face everything he's ever done wrong pops into my head. 

 

I understand that they're two different things and I shouldn't have a code for Felicity's behavior based on my feelings of another character, but I can't help it. 

 

It crosses a line for you to talk about my fiancee, but it's totally okay for me to ping your phone, figure out where you are and therefore (kind of) manipulate you into having a conversation with me that you don't want to have. 

[scarletregina]

Saw a link on Tumblr to this article about Felicity. Thought it was a great read: 'Arrow' Shoots Down the Geek-Ditz Complex

 

"... Felicity Smoak is not only the smartest person on the show; she’s also one of the smartest people in the DC universe. She is the role model your daughter (and you) are looking for. She is unapologetically a fully-realized human being."

 

Thanks for saying so ;) It was fun to write because Felicity is such an incredible character. 

 

It's interesting to see the discussion here about whether or not she is a leader. I most certainly think she is, as I don't think the team could survive without her. At the very least, they would not be as successful without her. Oliver flat out calls her his partner (can't remember the episode).

 

When I think about her quitting... well, she didn't get into this to be a superhero. She got into this to save Walter, then she got caught up in everything. It should be no shade on her that she wants to take a step back ,all things considered.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Oh, wow! Hi! Wonderful article; it's spreading like wildfire on Tumblr :) Loved the points you made in it. You cited a lot of the reasons why Felicity Smoak is my favorite characer on "Arrow."

 

I agree about the quitting. She definitely needs a bit of a break. Someone upthread listed all the things that had happened to Felicity in the last several months and it speaks to her inner steel, IMO, that she's just starting to break now. I thought Felicity was very well written — and acted — last night. Everything she did made sense in the context of not only what happened last night, but the other losses she'd suffered in her life.

Edited January 22, 2015 by SmallScreenDiva

[BkWurm1]

Also...did the show have Felicity apologise to Ray for crossing a line when talking about his dead fiancé? Because apologising to your stalker about boundaries is a little weird. Maybe I misheard, though, because paying attention to those scenes isn't easy for me.

 

Taking to the relationship thread

[wonderwall]

It's odd because every character so far has quit or decided to quit Team Arrow.  

 

Diggle quit in S1 after Oliver picked Laurel over stopping Deadshot.

Oliver thought about quitting and going back to his normal life after he figured out what the Undertaking was and thought he could stop it.

Oliver actually quit after 123 and spent 5 months hiding on an Island

Roy quit in S2 after Thea got kidnapped, he ran off and got captured by Slade

Diggle quit again when Sara was born and only came back because Canary was killed.

 

Not sure why Felicity quitting now is getting backlash.  It's obviously a standard trope that this show likes to use for character beats/development.

It's because Oliver and Diggle are men. So obviously they won't get backlash smh

 

I normally never make comments about race or gender, but it's quite obvious right now that the audience is being way too harsh on a character that was making decisions that were in-character and that made sense. The only difference is that Felicity was more tearful than Oliver, Roy, and Diggle when they quit. 

Edited January 22, 2015 by wonderwall

[Leia1979]

Saw a link on Tumblr to this article about Felicity. Thought it was a great read: 'Arrow' Shoots Down the Geek-Ditz Complex

 

"... Felicity Smoak is not only the smartest person on the show; she’s also one of the smartest people in the DC universe. She is the role model your daughter (and you) are looking for. She is unapologetically a fully-realized human being."

As a woman in tech and a fan of Felicity, this article really spoke to me. Yes, I can wear a dress and heels and fix your computer. I can't recall seeing anyone doubt Felicity's intelligence on the show because she's female, which I love (though Summer Glau's character's insinuations about how Felicity became EA were insulting). 

 

Anyway, I'm kind of surprised by the divided opinions on Felicity in last night's episode. I do think the infamous light switch was an odd choice by the writer or director, but I just waved it off as odd. I thought she was in character throughout given the rough emotional circumstances, and her showdown with Merlyn was great. Every time she stands up to some bigger or more powerful person just warms my heart.

 

ETA: On a fashion note, I had to buy the sparkly gold belt from last night's episode. 

Edited January 22, 2015 by Leia1979

[scarletregina]

It's because Oliver and Diggle are men. So obviously they won't get backlash smh

 

I normally never make comments about race or gender, but it's quite obvious right now that the audience is being way too harsh on a character that was making decisions that were in-character and that made sense. The only difference is that Felicity was more tearful than Oliver, Roy, and Diggle when they quit. 

 

And that difference is totally understandable because she's lost 2 people she loved, Sara & Oliver. I'm sure some people falsely see this as "ZOMG a woman can't handle tough situations!" But, I think Felicity proved that she doesn't give a fuck when she told Merlyn exactly what she thinks of him.

[tv echo]

never-forget-your-memories asked:

If Felicity is 25, was she only 19 when she graduated MIT?!??

 

Yes.

http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

 

I always find it interesting that EBR is 23 and playing older, while WH is 23 and playing younger.  Then there's SA who's 33 - 10 years older and with more acting experience than EBR.  Yet EBR manages to hold her own in their scenes together.  

Edited January 22, 2015 by tv echo

[BkWurm1]

So if she graduated MIT at 19, that means the flashbacks that had her mom offering to hook her up with a fake ID makes sense. 

[Guest]

I thought Felicity was great in last night's episode. Her inner strength is incredible. For all the times she could have broken down, she didn't. She carried on, she went to work. Yeah, she might have made some emotional decisions and yeah, she might have snapped at the wrong people but omg that's exactly what grief does. And people grieve in different ways.

 

I'm so mad at seeing people turn on Felicity simply because she's behaving like a HUMAN BEING. She's not perfect and she's never professed to be so I think she's allowed to be emotional and maybe make some questionable decisions when the man she loves (probably more than anyone by the sounds of it) has just died. STFU. Grrrrrr.

[statsgirl]

I swallow a lot with this show but I have a hard time with that.  Even if she did do a 5 year MIT degree in 4 years, she would have to have been 15 when she started, skipping at least 3 grades in public school.  And the idea of a 15 old in a college residence at MIT... (parental shudders)

[BkWurm1]

I swallow a lot with this show but I have a hard time with that.  Even if she did do a 5 year MIT degree in 4 years, she would have to have been 15 when she started, skipping at least 3 grades in public school.  And the idea of a 15 old in a college residence at MIT... (parental shudders)

Maybe she did the MIT degree in a shorter period of time while finishing high school credits concurrently?  Cause yeah, 15 is toooo young.  But on the other hand, I have to imagine it happens every once and a while...maybe there are circumstances where young students kind of foster with a nearby family?

[bethy]

 And the idea of a 15 old in a college residence at MIT... (parental shudders)

 

There was a 15yo boy in my freshman year at college. I still remember seeing him at a party the first week of school with a beer in his hand. Even at 18 myself, I was like, "Um. Should you be doing that?" That did not make me cool.

[Delphi]

Honestly, I think people are making way too big a deal over the light switch incident. I did ask my roommate why she left them in the dark, but metaphorically it makes sense, everyone is in the darkness right now. I think if the episode had been edited differently people wouldn't be questioning it, ie: it would have really worked for the very end of the episode. But there was so much to fit in with Oliver being resurrected and laurel being a vigilante.

I really like the felicity was the de facto leader of the team. And honestly she was really such a bad ass during the confrontation with Malcolm, loved it. I also loved her jacket.

[Morrigan2575]

As a woman in tech and a fan of Felicity, this article really spoke to me. Yes, I can wear a dress and heels and fix your computer. I can't recall seeing anyone doubt Felicity's intelligence on the show because she's female, which I love (though Summer Glau's character's insinuations about how Felicity became EA were insulting).

Anyway, I'm kind of surprised by the divided opinions on Felicity in last night's episode. I do think the infamous light switch was an odd choice by the writer or director, but I just waved it off as odd. I thought she was in character throughout given the rough emotional circumstances, and her showdown with Merlyn was great. Every time she stands up to some bigger or more powerful person just warms my heart.

ETA: On a fashion note, I had to buy the sparkly gold belt from last night's episode.

I didn't watch the episode but I saw someone mention on another forum that earlier in the episode Felicity said something about keeping the lights on until Oliver came home. I believe Felicity turning the lights off at the end was supposed to be symbolic, of Felicity finally accepting that Oliver was dead.

[statsgirl]

She would also have to make all the arrangements herself at 14/15 because I can't see Donna doing it, plus apply for and get the scholarships.  Maybe she could have done her language and social science requirements as an AP course in  high school but everything else (e.g. math, science) would have had to have been repeated at MIT at their level.

 

 

metaphorically it makes sense, everyone is in the darkness right now.

I like it. Even Diggle told Laurel that he didn't know what to do now.

[calliope1975]

ETA: On a fashion note, I had to buy the sparkly gold belt from last night's episode. 

 

Good call! If anyone can ID the triangle necklace, I'd love you forever. Worn On TV doesn't have it listed.

[BkWurm1]

Maybe she could have done her language and social science requirements as an AP course in  high school but everything else (e.g. math, science) would have had to have been repeated at MIT at their level.

 

She wouldn't have had to repeat anything.  I did my senior year of high school as a freshman at college and the credits I hadn't earned in high school were all classes I had to take in college anyway so I got double credit (for college and high school) and that was without being any kind of a genius. 

[quarks]

It wasn't MIT, but I headed to a college dorm at 16.  And as far as this forum is concerned I was very very good and never did anything inappropriate for a 16 year old ever and certainly did not attend college parties where hard liquor was served. 

 

Fanwanking, but possibly Felicity chose MIT because it was so far away from Vegas, making it harder or at least more expensive for her mother to fly in regularly.

[BkWurm1]

It wasn't MIT, but I headed to a college dorm at 16.  And as far as this forum is concerned I was very very good and never did anything inappropriate for a 16 year old ever and certainly did not attend college parties where hard liquor was served. 

 

Fanwanking, but possibly Felicity chose MIT because it was so far away from Vegas, making it harder or at least more expensive for her mother to fly in regularly.

Don't worry, your secret are safe with us!

 

I fanwank the same thing.  Other side of the country had to be an influence.  Though she did move a lot closer to home.  That map aside, I still think based on distances and timing that Starling is supposed to be between Portland and Seattle and Central City is like Sacramento, CA.  I spent too much time on Google maps one day. 

[statsgirl]

I'm sure you were a complete angel, quarks.

 

I was seventeen when I started (we still had grade 13 here then so one more year of high school) and I'm glad my parents didn't know what I got up to.  And going by the SOOFS episode, Felicity was no shrinking violet.

 

Fanwanking, but possibly Felicity chose MIT because it was so far away from Vegas, making it harder or at least more expensive for her mother to fly in regularly.

I think the producers chose it because it has the reputation of being the top technical university in the country, although being that far from Las Vegas would have been a bonus.  There's Stanford, which I think is a bit closer, but all the rest like Harvard and Princeton seem to be more artsy.  And that's all she had to go on, even high school guidance counselors don't really know which university is good for which discipline.

 

Listing to Donna say that she was worried that Felicity would leave her, only to realize that she already had, I got the feeling that Donna gave up as Felicity packed up to go to college..

[HighHopes]

If Felicity is 25 now and graduated at 19 but was at MIT 5 years ago (because of 3x05) that means she was there when she was 20. Unless she has a late November or a December birthday right? Am I doing the math correctly?? 

 

So she was 24 in 3x05, flashback to when she was 19 and then she turned 25 later? Or... were the flashbacks to not November 5 years ago but earlier in the year before she graduated? I'm confusing myself here. 

Edited January 22, 2015 by HighHopes

[tv echo]

I'm really curious as to Felicity's actual birthday date.  Remember when Felicity's bio was posted on CW Arrow’s facebook timed with Season 2 of the show?  Her age was listed as 25 then.  So MG may be retconning her age a little.

 

[Leia1979]

It sounded like they didn't want to commit to exactly when her birthday is in case they want to use it in an episode later. In my mind, she's almost 26 now and was 20 when she graduated, which makes more sense (I don't care what MG tweeted). And in my head, 2009 was when she completed undergrad, and she took another year to complete her masters. I feel like Felicity is too normal to have gone the Sheldon Cooper route. A masters from MIT at 21 is still very impressive.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Leia1979

[SmallScreenDiva]

They're definitely retconning her age. Felicity didn't need to say how old she is in that scene with Ray. She could just have said something like I'm too young to lose these many friends. But the writers made a point to make her say her age. So I'm thinking that's going to come up in a later episode or they're setting up some sort of timeline for her character (hopefully that involves Papa Smoak!).

[tv echo]

elenwi asked:

Hi Marc! I have a question, it would be great if you will answer! :) Does Felicity feel guilty for not trying to stop Oliver from facing Ra's al Ghul?

 

I think she knows she couldn’t.

http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

Edited January 23, 2015 by tv echo

[Shanna]

That really frustrated me. Objectively, I know that Felicity was in the wrong, snip....

It crosses a line for you to talk about my fiancee, but it's totally okay for me to ping your phone, figure out where you are and therefore (kind of) manipulate you into having a conversation with me that you don't want to have.

I don't think felicity was wrong at all.

I don't think there is anything wrong with her mentioning his fiancé. She wasn't insulting her, she was telling ray not to be suicidal and that it wouldn't bring back the dead. Valid. I was actually a little pissed that she apologized. It doesn't help that BR has his crazy eyes that said "I am going to murder you for even mentioning my fiancés name" even though he was obviously trying to say it in a "nice" way. Don't interrupt her when she obviously wants to be alone if you don't want to hear some truth. (Although she could have just gone home...)

I am getting pretty irritated that felicity seems to be the go to girl for setting up spinoffs. I know it's because she is popular but I hate that her actions and life is being twisted to set up someone else.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Shanna

[kismet]

I'm really curious as to Felicity's actual birthday date.  Remember when Felicity's bio was posted on CW Arrow’s facebook timed with Season 2 of the show?  Her age was listed as 25 then.  So MG may be retconning her age a little.

 

I'm really curious as to Felicity's actual birthday date.  Remember when Felicity's bio was posted on CW Arrow’s facebook timed with Season 2 of the show?  Her age was listed as 25 then.  So MG may be retconning her age a little.

    CW-Arrow-Bio-Felicity-Smoak.jpg

Can I just make a random comment after reading this description/picture....

Yes, it is true that Felicity seemed to have a crush on Oliver when they first began interacting, but seriously who wouldn't? I mean between the character on paper & SA portrayal of him ~ I think I can safely say a good portion of the audience felt the same way. But I stayed around because the show was more than just a fluffy CW show or action packed bonanza. Its characters have depth which is why I find it insulting that they sometimes simplify in their descriptions.

In the past 3 seasons, I have never seen her work compromised by any of her "crush" like feelings. Nor to a find calling it a crush does any service or justice to her character. It seems like a way to diminish her by making it seem like she is just this little girl with a puppy dog crush on Oliver following him around everywhere. Which is just BS... if anything he's the one that always initiated the chase/following of her. She's been mature and professional around him for most of the episodes. He's usually the one with the touches and the stares. Yea, so she makes comments about the salmon ladder and some of the double entedres ~ but those have dropped off as well now that she is more comfortable with him after getting to know him. A lot of the other stuff just seemed like nervous habits, which since she is coming into her own have become less. But I also appreciate that she hasnt compromised her personality around him. Which is one of the reasons I love that she does have scenes in flash & w/ RP, it shows that she is not just a silly little fangirl. She is crucial to the success of team Arrow and a true partner to OQ whether is ever goes platonic/romantic/or stalls somewhere in between. She's an intelligent strong woman & her being described as crushing on OQ or being there only as the light or LI diminishes her role and capacity as a team member.

That last sentence just annoys me so much. Its not her "crush" that is gonna complicate her relationship with OQ, its the fact that there are mutual deep feelings (romantic or not) that influence one's decisions, but its not a complication its called a mature relationship. When you have family & friends that you have caring relationships with, it does influence your decisions. If you care about people, you have to weigh how your actions/choices will impact others. Oliver does it all the time on the show. Its not gonna threaten her job because she cares about her team members, not just OQ. Her job was not compromised when OQ was pursuing relationships w/ McKenna & Sara. At no point, was Felicity like I can't handle this, my crush likes someone else. Its just so cliche that they try to describe her as such in the above description. If anything her frustration w/ Sara had more to do with her lack of confidence in herself & her abilities, than in losing OQ attention. She felt she had let the team down by allowing CK to infiltrate the computer system. Completely different. She cares about her job and keeping her friends safe. Its not about her fangirling OQ while he works out. She wants to be vital member of the team, but just like OQ says U'll always be my girl. Meaning u'll always be someone I can turn to, just like the expression go to guy. Everyone has a bad, mistakes are a given. Her job was secure because she's proven that the far majority of the time her skills & intellect do succeed in making Team Arrow successful. I think the show is better at showing that, or maybe its just EBR's acting choices. But it seems whenever, the EPs try to describe her as they did in the example above, they just get it so wrong. Its almost like they have to force their character description into the narrowest of cliche boxes. We're a smart audience we can understand nuance. Its okay to trust us with a complexity. We get it Felicity used to have a crush on Oliver but that was almost 3 years ago, a lot has changed. Please stop minimizing the roles & characterizations just because of their gender or age.

 

Personally, I think they are just retconning her age for some type of plot, cuz it really didnt matter her exact age for that line to Palmer. I wish they remained vague on the actual age.

[statsgirl]

I don't think there is anything wrong with her mentioning his fiancé. She wasn't insulting her, she was telling ray not to be suicidal and that it wouldn't bring back the dead. Valid. I was actually a little pissed that she apologized. It doesn't help that BR has his crazy eyes that said "I am going to murder you for even mentioning my fiancés name" even though he was obviously trying to say it in a "nice" way. Don't interrupt her when she obviously wants to be alone if you don't want to hear some truth. (Although she could have just gone home...)

I think she was right in the content of what she said, but she as wrong in bringing up Anna because that's crossing a personal boundary. Let's leave that for Ray.

 

But I also think that she only did it because she was so distraught and pulled out all the stops to keep Ray from being dead too.

[foreverevolving]

Thanks ladies who started college at an early age, I now officially feel even older than I feel on a daily basis interacting with a bunch of teenagers or how i felt earlier today (after finding one too many white hairs on my head- that's my punishment for not visiting my incredible hair stylist in over six months).

I started college at 25, I'm 28 (so still deep in it- semi senior year baby!!!). Rented a place with a 19 year old my freshmen year, may have or may have not spend a night two weeks after meeting her holding her head above a pot so she won't choke to death on her own vomit. I learned a valuable lesson: never party with anyone who is underage. And if god forbid you do - act like the, semi strict, big sister they don't have.

[BkWurm1]

I don't think there is anything wrong with her mentioning his fiancé. She wasn't insulting her, she was telling ray not to be suicidal and that it wouldn't bring back the dead. Valid. I was actually a little pissed that she apologized. It doesn't help that BR has his crazy eyes that said "I am going to murder you for even mentioning my fiancés name" even though he was obviously trying to say it in a "nice" way

 

The only point were I thought that Felicity crossed a line was when she said "Anna wouldn't want".  I think even if it was hard to hear, saying it wouldn't bring Anna back was totally fine for her to say.  It was when she started essentially putting words in Anna's mouth that I thought Ray had a point.   She could have phrased it as a question and asked him if risking his life would be what Anna would have wanted and I don't think we would have an issue.  Just a slight rephrase makes all the difference IMO.   

[BkWurm1]

Thanks ladies who started college at an early age, I now officially feel even older than I feel on a daily basis interacting with a bunch of teenagers or how i felt earlier today (after finding one too many white hairs on my head- that's my punishment for not visiting my incredible hair stylist in over six months).

I started college at 25, I'm 28 (so still deep in it- semi senior year baby!!!).

 

Twenty eight really is sooooo not old.  You are not allowed to feel old.  I command it on behalf of everyone that once was 28.   

[tv echo]

The only point were I thought that Felicity crossed a line was when she said "Anna wouldn't want".  I think even if it was hard to hear, saying it wouldn't bring Anna back was totally fine for her to say.  It was when she started essentially putting words in Anna's mouth that I thought Ray had a point.   She could have phrased it as a question and asked him if risking his life would be what Anna would have wanted and I don't think we would have an issue.  Just a slight rephrase makes all the difference IMO.   

I could be wrong but I thought there was this subtextual overtone to that scene of Felicity really speaking to Oliver in her grief.  So when she said "Anna wouldn't want", she subconsciously was talking about herself, and her lashing out at Ray was really lashing out at Oliver.

Edited January 24, 2015 by tv echo

[jay741982]

I could be wrong but I thought there was this subtextual overtone to that scene of Felicity really speaking to Oliver in her grief.  So when she said "Anna wouldn't want", she subconsciously was talking about herself, and her lashing out at Ray was really lashing out at Oliver.

I thought the same thing.

[tv echo]

thomasmuellerr asked:

In 3-10 it was revealed that Felicity is 25. I am not that familiar with the american education system (I am german).. so when she went to MIT University, at what time was she finished there? Like about 21? 22?

 

She would have graduated at around 21/22, depending on her actual birthdate, which we haven’t yet established.

http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

 

Huh... MG is contradicting himself.  Maybe his earlier Tumblr response was supposed to say that Felicity entered MIT at 19, but he misspoke?

 

This also means that when Felicity met Oliver, she had been working at QC for only about a year.

Edited January 24, 2015 by tv echo

[apinknightmare]

http://marcguggenheim.tumblr.com/

Huh... MG is contradicting himself. Maybe his earlier Tumblr response was supposed to say that Felicity entered MIT at 19, but he misspoke?

This also means that when Felicity met Oliver, she had been working at QC for only about a year.

She has a masters though, not just an undergrad degree.

[foreverevolving]

So i send MG a question regarding the flash episode and whether or not we'll see the woman from the flash comics, also asked why the plot isn't on arrow since Felicity is the leading lady. we'll see if he answers.

Twenty eight really is sooooo not old.  You are not allowed to feel old.  I command it on behalf of everyone that once was 28.   

 

I don't always feel old, only when i have to communicate with the bunch of 18-21 classmates and they talk about silly boy bands and even more idiotic songs that i feel the decade of gap. it's really hard to find mature 20 year old. there's a few but...

[Danny Franks]

I think this is a problem with making Felicity super over-qualified and awesomesauce, when the character really didn't need it. She didn't need to have a Masters from MIT as a teenager, because we could see she was intelligent and resourceful and astute. What difference does it make whether her degree was given to her by MIT or Schenectady Community College? It doesn't change who she is or her role on the show, and in fact might even add layers because it suggests that she came from a disadvantaged background and managed to forge her way in spite of that, finding a job at QC with the paltry qualifications she had, and working her way up in short order to the position she was in when we met her.

 

But no, this is TV, so she has to be the smartest girl from the best college, or people won't believe she's all she's cracked up to be. But bafflingly, she's got a Masters from MIT and was working in the IT department, in what seemed to be a very middling position. A position that would seem more appropriate for someone more modestly qualified.

[SmallScreenDiva]

I can buy her working in QC's IT department despite being a genius-level hacker after watching "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak." She's not that far removed from college when we first meet her. Not that long ago when she created a supervirus that essentially got her boyfriend killed. We saw her run the other away in terms of how she looked; it's not that much of a stretch I think to imagine she also buried her skills in the aftermath. Tried to be as far away as possible from that girl who created something terrible. So she hides her true self, gets a job far below her talents/skills.

[statsgirl]

I think this is a problem with making Felicity super over-qualified and awesomesauce, when the character really didn't need it. She didn't need to have a Masters from MIT as a teenager, because we could see she was intelligent and resourceful and astute. What difference does it make whether her degree was given to her by MIT or Schenectady Community College?

It actually does, both in terms of mindset. When you know you're the best and you've got all the self-confidence, you go to the best knowing you're going to ace it.   You set your sights on MIT, or Columbia or Stanford.  There really is a qualitative difference in behavior between someone with an IQ of 120, and someone with 140.

 

The puzzling thing was why she accepted in mid-level job in IT with all that education, and the show answered it with Cooper's death and Felicity needs to lay low and not stand out.

 

Five years later, and with her confidence back, she's standing beside Ray Palmer comfortable with being his VP.

 

I started college at 25, I'm 28 (so still deep in it- semi senior year baby!!!).

I started at 17, finished too  young to know what I wanted to do. Went back at 27, and again 7 years ago.  It's better when you're older, you know who you are, you know what  you want to do, and  you don't get as lost in the emotional angst.

[Carrie Ann]

We don't know what her title was or what all her job entailed in S1--she called herself "just an IT girl," and I have no doubt she could have gotten a better job somewhere. But at the same time, someone sent Oliver to her, and then Walter got the same info when he needed someone to track Moira's activity. So at least we can assume that her boss, maybe her boss's boss, knew what they had in her. Someone there knew she was the best. So, yeah, she hadn't founded a tech startup, and she wasn't in charge of some special division with the government, but she was working at a giant multi-national conglomerate, and within that organization, she was recognized as the best asset of the IT department. I would wager that she was being put on projects that utilized her skills, and not just answering Help Desk calls. And had Walter stayed in charge at QC, it may only have been a matter of time until she was promoted to a position in line with her skills and intelligence.

[foreverevolving]

 I would wager that she was being put on projects that utilized her skills, and not just answering Help Desk calls. And had Walter stayed in charge at QC, it may only have been a matter of time until she was promoted to a position in line with her skills and intelligence.

I'm not 100% sure about that. she very much disguised herself, and it is obvious that becoming part of team arrow had reawaken a confidence in her she lost when she believed Cooper was dead, I feel like she would have preferred to stay at her position or maybe her supervisor position to try and avoid any possibilities of what happened with Cooper happen again.